Iraq

The Emergency in Iraq

Iraqi families urgently need your help

After decades of conflict and violence, more than 3 million Iraqis have been forced to abandon their homes. Terrified, many fled with just the clothes on their backs. Now, with their limited financial resources exhausted, they are in desperate need of emergency aid.

“We had no choice other than to leave because it was not safe for our children. We left everything – our clothes, our furniture, even our food.” Nafa Jihad, 40, father.

In July 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi officially declared that the city of Mosul was back under government control. However, armed extremist groups still control territory in several areas of Iraq.

What is UNHCR doing to help?

protection for families fleeing conflict,

monitoring checkpoints to ensure people safe passage out of conflict zones,

UNHCR is also providing displaced Iraqis with life-saving relief items such as tents, mattresses, plastic sheeting, kitchen sets, buckets and other essentials. But as the situation worsens our supplies are running low.

What can you do to help?

Please make a donation today and give hope to a refugee family in crisis. Your gift will ensure that UNHCR can provide life-saving assistance to vulnerable Iraqi children, women and men displaced by the conflict.

Thousands of Iraqi women have lost their husbands and are now raising their children alone with no income.

Your donations in action

A mother walks her child home from class at a camp for displaced Iraqis in Baghdad

Education

Access to education is often one of the first casualties as a country’s security deteriorates.

An estimated 700,000 Iraqi children are missing out on vital years of schooling as funding cuts to education leave teachers unpaid and force the closure of many schools. UNHCR supports the operation of primary schools in camps in the north of Iraq and provides cash assistance to help vulnerable families send their children to school.

UNHCR distributes essential relief items in Hasansham camp.

Iraqi children take UNHCR relief items back to their family shelters in Hasansham camp in northern Iraq. These children are among thousands who fled their homes during the Iraqi military's offensive to liberate cities and towns from militants in late 2016. UNHCR have provided displaced Iraqi families with emergency shelter, and essential items such as kitchen sets, mattresses, blankets, water containers and stoves.

Our fundraising promise

Hamid with his family outside their temporary home in the Al Jamea’a camp in Baghdad

Shelter

Hamid and his family fled their hometown of Fallujah two years ago when ISIS attacked their neighbourhood.

The family lived in a hotel room and then with Hamid’s sister before finding shelter in a camp for displaced people. After living in a tent they were very happy to be offered a Refugee Housing Unit (RHU).

“This shelter is a blessing from God for us in the desert. During the floods all the tents were damaged but the RHUs were not affected at all. It gives us privacy, which is extremely important for our values. Our life would be so miserable and difficult without UNHCR.”

During summer, temperatures in Iraq can soar to over 50 degrees Celsius.

Get the facts about our impact

Supplies

Shelter

Food

Protection

Medicine

Cash Assistance

Providing Supplies

UNHCR distributes life-sustaining items such as mattresses, blankets, kitchen sets, jerry cans, stoves and fuel, soap and other sanitary items to refugees under its care. These supplies are tailored to the specific needs of the refugee population: for example, winterisation kits are distributed in camps and communities where sub-zero temperatures occur. UNHCR maintains global stockpiles of core relief items for immediate delivery in emergency situations.

After fleeing their homes with few possessions, displaced Iraqi families have little to keep them warm through the winter when temperatures can plummet to minus 16 degrees Celsius. During the winter months, UNHCR provides hundreds of thousands of Iraqis with ‘winterisation’ kits containing thermal blankets, quilts, a heating stove, kerosene, and a plastic sheet for insulation.

Providing Shelter

UNHCR provides refugees with emergency shelter — tents, tarpaulins and demountable housing — in the immediate aftermath of displacement. More broadly, we are responsible for site planning and camp management to ensure refugee settlements are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. For those living outside camps, UNHCR funds the rehabilitation of communal shelters, the construction of new homes and rental assistance for those in urban situations. UNHCR also provides materials that displaced people need to build a home themselves under self-help schemes.

Seasonal extremes are a major concern for displaced Iraqis living in non-permanent dwellings. UNHCR is working with local authorities to set up emergency shelters and provide families with tents, plastic sheeting and mattresses. This has included the delivery of close to a thousand family tents to a new camp for displaced people near Duhok in the Kurdistan region. We are also involved in the planning and construction of future camps as they are needed.

Providing Food

Malnutrition is a common consequence of conflict and displacement. UNHCR works with the World Food Programme (WFP) to ensure that all refugees have access to adequate nutrient-rich food. UNHCR assists with the distribution of food rations in camps and provide urban refugees with vouchers and cash assistance for the purchase of food and groceries. In acute situations, UNHCR supports emergency nutrition and therapeutic feeding programs, supplying fortified milks and ready-to-use therapeutic foods.

Providing Protection

Children and families fleeing violence, war, disaster or persecution can be very vulnerable. UNHCR supplies displaced people with essential items, food and shelter to protect them from having to make dangerous decisions to survive. On a larger scale, UNHCR negotiates safe passage, asylum spaces and humanitarian access, upholding the rights of refugees and minimising the threat of violence, including sexual assault.

Part of UNHCR’s work in emergencies is identifying vulnerable groups such as the elderly, the disabled, pregnant women, and children to receive special protection services. Protection teams are stationed at transit centres to carry out this work and to ensure people have safe passage out of the conflict zone. In the camps for internally displaced people (IDPs), camp management includes making sure that the most endangered inhabitants are protected from violence and exploitation.

Providing Medication

UNHCR facilitates access to basic healthcare for refugees through camp clinics and local healthcare providers. Priority health services include emergency medical care for those who have suffered violence, reproductive services and treatment for infants and the elderly. UNHCR also coordinates immunisation programs to prevent the spread of diseases in crowded refugee settings.

Providing Cash Assistance

Most refugees live in places where they have access to markets and services in the same way that local communities do. Providing refugees with cash, by way of a secure biometric system, enables them to make decisions about their personal needs. This also helps prevent refugees being forced into desperate measures such as undertaking dangerous journeys, taking children out of school or survival sex. Cash assistance also helps refugees to support the local economy, aiding social integration.

UNHCR uses cash-based interventions to provide relief and assistance to the most vulnerable displaced Iraqis. Cash and vouchers help families prioritise their own needs in areas like food, water, healthcare and shelter, and allow them to build and support their livelihoods.

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Australia for UNHCR (ABN 35 092 843 322) respects the importance of privacy and security of your personal information. This privacy policy sets out the way we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information and underpins our commitment to protecting your right to privacy. This policy reflects Australia for UNHCR’s obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (including the Australian Privacy Principles) (the Privacy Act). As members of the following bodies, we adhere to additional codes of conduct and ethical fundraising practices:

Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), complying with its Code of Conduct;

Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA), complying with its Codes of Practice;

Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA), adhering to its ethical practises for fundraising; and

Public Fundraising Regulatory Authority (PFRA), complying with its standards.

We may revise this Privacy Policy or any part of it from time to time. You will find the most current version on our website or obtain a copy from our Donor Care Team; contact details are included at the bottom of this policy.

Collection of Personal Information

Australia for UNHCR follows the Australian Privacy Principles in handling personal information; we collect personal information about individuals including supporters, employees, contractors, volunteers, special representatives/delegates and job applicants. This information may be collected directly from you in person, by phone or email, on hard copy donation forms, via our website or social media. We may also collect your personal information from publically available sources or third parties.

We use the personal information you provide us with for the purpose for which it was provided to us, other related purposes or as permitted or required by law. Generally we collect and use your personal information for:

As detailed below we also use your information in our marketing and fundraising activities, keeping you informed of our latest news, campaigns and appeals or about campaigns and appeals which may be of interest to you. We may also offer you the opportunity to participate in surveys carried out by Australia for UNHCR or its agents.

By completing our donation and pledge forms you consent to Australia for UNHCR storing your personal information for processing donations, communicating with you, issuing receipts and sharing with our trusted service providers. We will endeavour to provide you with an opportunity to opt out of receiving future communications and make every effort to ensure that our opt-out notices are clear and easy to follow. If you do not wish to receive future communications from Australia for UNHCR or wish to limit the use of your personal information then please contact our Donor Care Team; contact details are included at the bottom of this policy.

Direct Marketing

We use your personal details to assist in the cost-effective development of our marketing and fundraising activities by sending you information by post, email, SMS or telephone. As we have a large number of supporters, at times we use external providers to assist with our telemarketing and mailing. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that our contracts with third parties include requirements for third parties to comply with the use and disclosure requirements of the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles.

Disclosure and Sharing of Personal Information

We occasionally invite other like-minded and trusted organisations in Australia to contact you with information that may be of interest. This allows Australia for UNHCR to increase its base of supporters and reach more people with our vital message.

Any personal contact information you provide to us may be disclosed, if appropriate, to third parties who provide services on our behalf. We may also disclose your personal information to our volunteers who assist with many of our events and administration duties.

Strict confidentiality agreements are in place with our service providers and external agencies, and with staff and volunteers who handle your personal information. We will only disclose your personal information for the purposes for which it was initially collected, other directly related purposes or purposes to which you otherwise consent.

Other than as stated above, we will not share your personal information. However, it is possible, though unlikely, that we might be forced to disclose personal information in response to legal processes or when we believe in good faith that the law requires it, for example, in response to a court order, subpoena or a law enforcement agency's request.

If you do not wish Australia for UNHCR to share your personal information with like-minded and trusted organisations in Australia, you may opt out by ticking the related boxes on our donation pledge forms or by contacting our Donor Care team; contact details are included at the bottom of this policy.

Access and Correction of Personal Information

Australia for UNHCR will correct its records containing personal information as soon as practically possible at the request of the individual concerned in accordance with the Privacy Act. We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information that we collect and hold is accurate, complete and up-to-date. However, we rely on you to advise us of any changes to your personal information to help us maintain accurate, complete and up-to-date information.

We will, on request, provide you with access to the personal information we hold about you unless otherwise required or permitted by law. We will notify you of the basis for any denial of access to your personal information.

Individuals wishing to lodge a request to access and/or correct their personal information should do so by contacting our Donor Care Team; contact details are included at the bottom of this document.

Quality of Personal Information

Australia for UNHCR will review, on a regular and ongoing basis, its collection and storage practices to ascertain how improvements to accuracy can be achieved. We may utilise the services of third parties in order to maintain accurate personal information. Where such disclosure is made, we take reasonable steps to require these organisations comply with the Australian Privacy Principles.

Storage and Security of Information

We strive to protect your personal information, that it is protected from misuse, loss, interference and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. For example, whenever we ask for your financial details online, we use industry standard security on our website forms.

No data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, Australia for UNHCR cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us over the internet, and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your transmission, we make our best effort to try and ensure its security both on our systems and while in transit between our systems and the companies who provide us with various services. Third party service providers may use data centres overseas or be located overseas. If you do not wish to make your financial contribution online, please contact our Donor Care Team to receive a hard copy form; contact details are included at the bottom of this policy.

Making a Privacy Complaint

If you wish to make a complaint about a breach of this privacy policy, the Privacy Act or the Australian Privacy Principles you can contact our Donor Care Team; contact details are included at the bottom of this policy.

We will manage your complaint in accordance with our Complaints Policy. You will need to provide us with sufficient details regarding your complaint as well as any supporting evidence and/or information. We will contact you if we require any additional information from you and will notify you in writing of the outcome of the investigation. If you are not satisfied with our determination, you can contact us to discuss your concerns. If your complaint is about the way we handle your personal information, you may also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by calling 1300 363 992, online at www.oaic.gov.au or writing to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

A4U does not have an establishment in the European Union (EU), does not offer goods or services to individuals in the EU and does not monitor behaviour of individuals as far as their behaviour takes place in the EU. Individuals located in the EU should contact UNHCR’s National Representatives in their respective countries or via the global UNHCR website http://www.unhcr.org/

Online Activity and Privacy

Cookies

Cookies are small text files which are downloaded to and stored on your device when you visit a website. Cookies are widely used by website owners to provide you with a good experience while you browse, and also to provide information which can help website owners to improve websites.

Our site uses cookies to:

make our site work

collect anonymous data on how users navigate our site, which helps us to improve it

allow you to share our content on social networks

help us provide relevant advertising to those who may be interested in it.

We do not use cookies to:

collect any personally identifiable information

pass personal identifiable data to third parties.

What cookies do we use and for what purposes?

The cookies used on our site fall into four categories – strictly necessary cookies, functional cookies, performance cookies and advertising cookies. Each of these categories is explained below along with details of the specific cookies used, though within each category we may use additional or alternative cookies at any time.

Please note that third parties (including, for example, advertising networks and providers of external services like web traffic analysis services) may also use cookies, over which we have no control. These cookies are likely to be performance cookies or advertising cookies.

Strictly necessary cookies

These cookies are essential for our site to work, for example to allow you to make a donation, submit a service request or register for an event on our site.

Functional cookies

These cookies enhance your experience whilst using the site by recognising you when you return to our site; for example, by remembering your content or accessibility preferences.

Performance cookies

These cookies collect information about how visitors use our websites, such as which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies do not collect personal information; all information collected by these cookies is aggregated and therefore anonymous.

Advertising cookies

These cookies contain campaign related information on or for the user. Remarketing is a way for us to connect with people who have recently interacted with our site. We may place remarketing cookies on your device during your visit so that our preferred selected third-party suppliers, including Google, may use the information gathered to show you relevant Australia for UNHCR advertising when you visit other websites. If we have linked our Google Analytics and AdWords accounts, AdWords website conversion tags will read these cookies unless you opt-out.

Third party cookies, pixels and SDKs

We use some third party services or software on our website including cookies, Facebook pixels and SDKs. Third parties, including Facebook, YouTube, Google and Twitter may use cookies, web beacons and other storage technologies to collect or receive information from our website and elsewhere on the Internet and use that information to provide measurement services and target ads. A4U does not control the setting of these services or software, so we suggest you check the third party website for more information about how to opt out of the collection and use of information for ad targeting.

When you visit our website our server tracks non-personal statistical information about your experience on the site, such as pages viewed and donation details. Australia for UNHCR websites uses cookies and tracking technology to enhance your experience and deliver content relevant to your behaviour. This enables us to gather information such as the number of website visits and how you interact with our website. We use this information to help us understand more about how our site is used, so we can continually improve your experience.

We also use cookies for tracking the statistics of our website, which allows us to better understand your visit and improve the layout and functionality of our website. This analysis is conducted in such a way to ensure the anonymity of visitors while the information can help us customise the online experience for visitor to our site. No personally identifiable information is obtained. Information is gathered at an aggregate level and may be shared with third parties to help us analyse website usage and deliver marketing material.

By accepting our cookie policy and continuing to use our sites without changing settings, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

Controlling the use of cookies

If you do not wish to receive any cookies you may set your browser to either prompt you to accept cookies on each visit or refuse all cookies.

Most internet browsers automatically accept cookies unless you change your browser settings. If you wish to restrict, block or delete the cookies which are set by any websites, you can generally do this through your browser settings. These settings are usually found in the 'options' or 'preferences' menu of your internet browser.

Please note however, that if you set your internet browser preferences to block all cookies, you may not be able to access all or parts of our site. Unless you have adjusted your internet browser settings to block cookies, our site will set cookies.

We use some third party services or software on our website. Third parties, including Facebook, YouTube, Google and Twitter may use cookies, web beacons and other storage technologies to collect or receive information from our website and elsewhere on the Internet and use that information to provide measurement services and target ads. A4U does not control the setting of these cookies, so we suggest you check the third party website for more information about how to opt out of their collection and use of information for ad targeting.

Our website and mobile site may contain links to online forums. Think carefully before you post or publish any Personal Information in these forums as it will be publicly available.

Secure Online Transactions

If you make a donation via our website, we process your credit/debit card details securely using an accredited internet payment security system. With the combination of SSL encryption on our website and a secure browser at your end, we take all reasonable measures to ensure that your credit/debit card and personal information are protected when you donate online. We also recommend that you take appropriate security precautions when accessing the internet via public Wi-Fi networks or shared computers.

Contact Us

You will find the most current version of our Privacy Policy on our website at privacy-policy.

If you have any questions about your privacy, wish to access or change your details, how to lodge a complaint regarding the handling of your information and how that complaint will be handled by Australia for UNHCR, please contact our Donor Care Team:

We use cookies to make our website more enjoyable and relevant to you, analyse traffic and for ad measurement purposes. By using our website you are consenting to our use of cookies in accordance with our cookie policy.